


Anora's Betrayal

by Phsbarbie



Series: Dragon Age Origins [7]
Category: Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: F/M, Literature, Romance, fan fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-26
Updated: 2014-05-26
Packaged: 2018-01-26 16:17:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1694570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phsbarbie/pseuds/Phsbarbie





	Anora's Betrayal

     "Ser Cauthrien! Thank the maker you're here!" says Anora. I see Angel stiffen. She slowly turns her head to look at Anora. 

 

     "You backstabbing bitch. When I get out of this, and I promise you I will, I'll kill you myself," she states evenly. Anora pales and I try not to giggle. My love has such a violent streak. She draws her daggers and takes a step forward. "Let's get started, shall we?" Ser Cauthrien looks nervous.

 

    "Are you certain you won't surrender?" she asks hesitantly. Angel laughs and spins her daggers in her hands.

 

    "I'm positive. I've finally killed the bastard responsible for my family's murder. I'm having a pretty good day." Before I can so much as blink, Anora's grabbed a vase from a nearby table and bashes her over the head with it. She falls to the ground, unconscious. 

 

    "You crazy bitch!" I yell, making a lunge for her, but Morrigan beats me to it. She draws her dagger and places it at Anora's throat. 

 

    "That was a very stupid idea," says Morrigan. I turn to bring Angel's unconscious form to us only to find Ser Cauthrien has beaten me to it. She has Angel across the room and is mirroring Morrigan's pose with a dagger to her neck.

 

    "Hand over the Queen or I kill the Warden." There's a small pause where nobody moves before Morrigan sighs.

 

    "Fine," she says and pushes Anora away hard enough to make her stumble. "You got lucky this time." Anora quickly scrambles to her feet and retreats behind the line of soldiers in front of us. I see the giant doors behind them open and close and assume she made good her escape. 

 

    "Now release the Warden before I fry the lot of you," says Morrigan, taking a step forward and conjuring a fireball.

 

    "Oh, I don't think so," replies Ser Cauthrien, smugly. "You wouldn't want to risk frying her along with the rest of us, now would you?" Morrigan's eyes narrow, but she extinguishes the flame in her hand. Ser Cauthrien smiles. "That's what I thought. Now then, boy," she continues, turning to me, "drop your weapons and surrender yourself into our custody." I raise my eyebrows at her. When did Loghain start hiring lunatics?

 

    "And why, exactly, would I do that?"

 

    "Because if you don't I'll slit your lover's pretty little throat." Fear wraps around my heart and paralyzes me at the thought. 

 

    "You're bluffing," says Wynne from behind me. "I'd put gold on you being instructed to recover her alive."

 

    "Perhaps," acknowledges Cauthrien. "But perhaps the youngest Cousland here was simply a casualty of the battle after refusing to surrender. Disappointing, but nothing to be done for it." She presses the dagger more firmly to Angel's neck, nicking the delicate skin and drawing blood. I watch the single drop trail down her throat and pool in her collar bone before I can't take it anymore.

 

    "Stop!" I say, stepping forward. "Stop. I surrender." 

 

    "Alistair, no!" says Wynne, stepping forward and reaching for my arm. "Don't do this. Morrigan can incapacitate the guards with a lightning bolt while you swoop in and retrieve Angel. I can heal any collateral damage she takes." I smile sadly at her and shake my head. 

 

    "And if Cauthrien manages to slit her throat first? You can't heal dead, Wynne, and I'm not willing to take that risk. Besides, any plan that involves swooping is a bad plan." I gently shake off her hand and walk towards the line of soldiers, hands above my head. A pair of them step out as I near and quickly take my sword and shield before binding my arms behind me.

 

    "And what of the two of us, hmm?" asks Morrigan from across the room. "I, for one, will not surrender so easily." Ser Cauthrien gives her an amused look.

 

    "The two of you are beneath King Loghain's notice. Once we leave you are free to do the same." She secures Angel's hands behind her back before stepping back and letting her slump to the ground. "You, carry the Warden," she barks at one of the soldiers. He swings her up over his shoulder, being none too gentle, and I boil with rage. If they were to hand me back my sword now I'd slaughter them all before they could lay another hand on her, Ser Cauthrien with special relish. Hmm. It seems as if Angel's violent streak is beginning to rub off on me. 

 

    I suppose it doesn't actually take long to make the walk to the palace dungeons, but to me it feels like an eternity. I spend each step watching Angel, making sure she still draws beath, and wondering why she hasn't awoken yet. I swear to the Maker if she doesn't make it my first act as king will be to order Anora's death. I think I decided in the moment she reached for the vase to accept the throne. And not out of spite, though at the moment that's a serious plus, but because the last thing Ferelden needs is another selfish monarch. What kind of woman betrays her rescuers at the first opportunity? Not the kind I would swear fealty to.

 

    We're escorted past the barracks and into the farthest corner of the palace dungeons, where I am none too gently divested of my armor and clothing until I'm wearing only my small clothes. I take note of the chest they're locked in before noticing one of the soldiers with a laviscious grin on his face reaching to remove the armor of Angel.

 

    "Hey!" I yell, lunging towards him with my arms still bound behind my back. Two of his comrades catch me and attempt to hold me in place while I struggle against them. The soldier looks up at me in confusion. "If you touch- no, if you so much as _look_  at her inappropriately I will find you, and I will kill you. Slowly." I can feel the fires of hell promising retribution in my eyes and the soldier's face sobers immediately. With a nod in my direction he strips her of her armor briskly and efficiently and I cease my struggles. It seem he believed my threat. Good. I meant every word of it. It occurs to me that I've threatened death to several people since Angel was knocked out. She'd be so proud.

 

    They carry her into the cell first, dumping her onto a pile of straw before pushing me in after her, cutting my bonds as I go. I stumble to my knees as I hear the door clang shut behind me, but I don't bother tracking the movement of the guards. I quickly crawl over to Angel and pull her head into my lap, stroking the hair out of her face. Her breathing seems normal and when I check her pulse I find it steady.

 

    I've been sitting with her like this for over an hour when I start to feel the little twitches her body makes when she's waking up. I've been caught watching her sleep enough times to know the signs, and I breathe a sigh of relief. Her big blue eyes blink twice before they stay open, attempting to focus on my face. 

 

    "Alistair?" she asks, confused.

 

    "Thank the Maker," I say, my relief obvious. "You were out so long I thought you'd never wake up." She gives me a worried smile.

 

    "And you? Are you all right, my love?" she asks, running her hand across my forehead and down my cheek. I trap it there with my own and press a kiss to her palm. 

 

    "I am now." She struggles to sit up and I help her to an upright position. 

 

    "What happened?" she asks, rubbing her temples.

 

    "Well, after Anora sold us out she hit you over the head with a vase." Eyes that only a moment ago were filled with worry now stare back at me as hard as diamonds.

 

    "I'm going to kill her."

 

    "Perhaps we should focus on getting out of here first," I remind her.

 

    "Right," she says with a roll of her eyes. "One second." She pushes herself off the floor and moves toward the cell door, fishing a small lock pick out of her small clothes. I grin at her back.

 

    "I should have known you'd have a way out." She pops open the door and turns to me with a smile.

 

    "Don't I always?" I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her to me, leaning down for a kiss. She presses her lips briefly to mine before taking a step back.

    

    "Trapped in the palace dungeons, remember?" she says.

    

    "Right," I say, clearing my throat and forcing my mind back to the task at hand. "Our things are in that chest over there." I start to point to the opposite side of the room at the same time we hear the guard making his way back towards the room. I quickly step behind the door and out of his line of sight while Angel sports her most inviting smile.

    

    "Hello," she says charmingly as he reaches the doorway.

 

    "Hey!" demands the guard that was earlier stripping off her armor. "What are you doing out of your cell?" He strides angrily towards her, giving me the perfect opening to step out behind him and wrap my arm around his neck. I'm tempted to wrench his head to the side and end his leering life, but settle for cutting off his air supply, releasing him once he loses consciousness. When I glance up, Angel is looking at me with one eyebrow raised.

 

    "What was with the near neck snap?" I shrug sheepishly. 

 

    "He was the one that removed your clothes."

    

    "Ah," she says with a nod of her head. She crosses to the chest and has it open in no time. "Shall we?" she asks with a gesture towards our gear. I can't help but smile.

    

    "We shall."


End file.
